Change and Joy...

Three of the “musts” that Piper and I had when we were looking to purchase a new home out here a few years ago was that it had to have a garage, needed a fenced in backyard and most importantly, had to avail itself for easy access for Piper’s wheelchair.  Our first choice in the countryside near the little town of Fuquay-Varina… and actually our only choice… immediately met the first two qualifications and with a little ingenuity, also was easily set up for Piper’s access into the house. 

The four steps leading up to the large covered front porch wasn’t going to work without the construction of a full-scale ramp, but the entrance from the garage to the kitchen showed a lot more possibility!  Since there was only a single step up I was able to build a platform from which I could maneuver Piper’s chair from any approach being it straight on or from either side.  The garage is also over-sized which gave me the room to make it a permanent fixture, even with the car in the garage!  I built a similar platform from the garage to the backyard as there was also a single step from the threshold to the patio.

So, with the beautiful weather we had yesterday, I decided to take Piper out to the yard so she could watch me toss the ball for the dog as part of his afternoon exercises.  As I was maneuvering Piper around from the house onto the platform, we were listening to a live concert recording of the Gatlin Brothers that was playing on Sirius Radio’s enLighten Southern Gospel channel.  In a pause between songs one of the members of the group began to talk a little about how much things have changed over the years.

He related the time that he and his wife along with other family members were present at the hospital delivery room while their 24-year-old daughter was giving birth to their first-born grandchild.  He began to laugh and detail how different it was from when they had their family saying that back then nobody was allowed in the room and it felt like they had a restraining order that prohibited any family or friends from being within five miles of the delivery room!

That story immediately brought back memories of the birth of our first child… in sort of the opposite manner… In the months previous to Joshua’s birth on May 10, 1980, Piper and I had diligently participated in Lamaze childbirth classes, had prepared the baby’s room and had been praying over our coming child on a regular basis.  We were very excited and looking forward to going through the delivery process together.

Then one day Piper came home from a visit with her folks and with a wrinkled nose informed me that her Mom, Grandmother and who knows who else, were planning on being there during the delivery.  We were both a little stunned after the disclosure and I asked her if that was what she wanted, and she quickly replied in the negative.  We had both wanted this to be a private and meaningful time together and decided that we needed to inform them that… how do I say this nicely… that they weren’t invited!

Well, Piper did have the conversation with her Mom and although a few folks were not very happy with our decision, the introduction of our beautiful baby boy a little while later seemed to soften the blow and bring peace back into the family!

Piper and I had decided very early in our marriage that although we would honor old family traditions from both sides, that it was important to us to establish our own family traditions for our kid’s futures.  So, there were definitely times throughout the years where I am sure that we rocked the family traditions boat more than just a few times!  But we learned quite early in our relationship that the only consistent thing in this life is change… so we took on the mantle of “get over the fear of hanging on to something old and happily embrace something better!”

We’ve also learned along the way though, that there are a few things that are best kept the way they are… While I was preparing dinner last night, I knelt down next to Piper’s chair, looked her square in the face and began to sing and say some funny thoughts to her about some of the humorous times we’ve had together in past years.  At one point she kind of looked at me and then slowly moved her eyes to the other side… giving me the impression that she had had enough of my humor at the moment!

So, with that I sprang to me feet and turned to go into the dining room while I exclaimed: “Oh Piper aren’t you glad that I have such a sense of humor?”  Then I suddenly stopped and in a serious tone declared: “Sometimes I don’t know how I would have made it this far these last few years without it!”  And with that I turned back to her, thought for a moment and proceeded to correct my last statement saying: “It’s not a sense of humor that’s gotten me through it is it?  It was the Spirit of joy inside of me!”

Philippians 4:4 tells us to “Always be joyful IN the Lord…” (God’s Word ©)  As I read that verse this morning the little word “IN” seemed to pop right off the page and it immediately came to light within me that while things may drastically change around us at various times and seasons in our lives, the one constant in our lives can be… should be… our trust and therefore our JOY in the Lord… at all times!

I believe that His JOY has been the one unchangeable constant in our lives that has kept us stable throughout all the changes in life.  With our trust, our confidence and our expectations IN Him and the truth of His Word, we can’t help but have an attitude and demeanor of JOY and thereby stay afloat and strong with any wild pitch that may come our way!

Hummmm… what do you think about that?  We’ll take this subject a little further throughout this week… but until then, I might suggest that you check inside and see IN Whom your JOY is grounded!

Have a good week ahead, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Where am I expecting my JOY to come from today?”